Russia Is to Test a Mesh Network for Autonomous Drone Navigation
The solution is designed to increase the autonomy, resilience, and safety of drone use in logistics, monitoring, and urban projects.
Russia plans to test a mesh network for autonomous drone navigation in so-called “dead zones” in 2026, according to the press service of the National Technology Initiative (NTI) Foundation.
The project was developed by engineers in Kazan to enable precise positioning and control of drones in environments where satellite navigation signals such as GLONASS or GPS are unavailable or unstable.
Without Relying on Satellite Navigation
The solution is an adaptive wireless mesh network made up of ground-based base stations and onboard modules operating across different frequency bands. The communications and navigation infrastructure is formed by network nodes, each of which can relay data further across the mesh.
Drone coordinates are determined with accuracy of up to 10 meters based on the strength and characteristics of radio signals exchanged between mesh network nodes. In open terrain, communication range can reach up to 15 kilometers.
Previously, researchers at the Saint Petersburg State University of Telecommunications reported work on an alternative to satellite navigation for drones and smart transport. That approach is based on using terrestrial communications networks such as 4G and 5G base stations.
